NORTH ADAMS, MASS. —MCLA’s annual senior art exhibition, #Blindsight2021, will open virtually at MCLA Gallery 51 on April 22 featuring the work of Alex Gaspar ’21, Ian Mosher ’21, Tala Rousseau ’21, Drew Thomas ’21, and Ashanti Thomas ’21.
“#Blindsight2021” will be open online at https://www.mclaseniorartmajors.com/ and in the Design Lab at Gallery 51 beginning Thursday, April 22, 2021. Earlier in the day, each senior will present their work via a formal artist talk as part of the annual MCLA Undergraduate Research Conference. Follow the Senior Art Majors online @mclaART on both Instagram and Facebook for links to attend the talks virtually. All of these events are the culmination of their work at MCLA as art majors.
Each artist’s individual work encompasses a multitude of themes and mediums. Themes address a gamut of social issues and misconceptions, from mental illness, gender equality, race, and our impact on the environment. The artists’ chosen media platforms deal with comics, digital art, painting, sculpture, and performance art to deliver their message. The artists connect back to each other by revealing through their art social issues humanity has been blind to in the past but must see now for a brighter future, hence the exhibition title “#Blindsight2021.”
“My artwork is here to tell stories that would otherwise go unwritten. Through my art we hope to connect with and support those who need to hear the stories being told,” said Alex Gaspar about their work and its connection to the exhibition title.
Thomas’ project encompasses “#Blindsight2021” by using fantasy elements to represent and highlight emotions that we tend to hide from the public, showingthe irony of the “perfect lives” we portray to society as the real fantasy.
“I’m really proud of and impressed with the devotion this year’s seniors put toward their work in spite of the regular challenges that the COVID-19 restrictions create,” said MCLA Professor of Art Melanie Mowinski. “Each of these artists is addressing head-on social issues that force them to confront their own truth and humanity. And each of them has done it through a combination of effort and ease.”
View the work of MCLA’s senior art majors at https://www.mclaseniorartmajors.com/.
